


a pair

by fated_addiction



Series: check one [2]
Category: K-pop, Real Person Fiction, Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 08:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13807074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fated_addiction/pseuds/fated_addiction
Summary: "you can't will joohyun unnie into existence, you know."or, wendy has a rare moment of failing at advice.





	a pair

**Author's Note:**

> I keep accidentally starting series. This follows [you unreeling](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13774533). As always, thank you so much for reading!

-

 

 

 

 

"i confessed to taeyeon."

"what?"

wendy blinks. her eyes are wide. in context, everything should make sense. instead, yeri shrugs coolly. drops next to her on the couch. she pulls the book from wendy's hands and tosses it to the side.

"had to try," she replies. it stops surprising wendy. yeri shrugs. "but -"

"are you _okay_?"

immediately, wendy projects. her heart is racing. her throat starts to dry. she grabs yeri's arm. squeezes. the truth is that it's more for her. she can feel her throat tighten. it's selfish, in that moment. her mind twists with thoughts: _i understand_.

yeri snorts though. "i'm embarrassed? i'll get over it. don't really have a choice though - she loves someone else." yeri pauses and her expression mixes into something different. "you can't compete when they love someone else."

wendy's stomach drops. there are knots. but they feel a little vague. still: yeri stares and wendy stares back, unsure of what to say. it's bad enough for yeri to lean across the couch and grab her arm. she's pouting.

"you can't will joohyun unnie into existence, you know."

wendy rolls her eyes. her heart hasn't stopped racing. "stop it," she mutters. looks away. "that has nothing to do with anything."

"stop what? the two of you are useless. i can't even live vicariously though either of you."

yeri makes it a point to hit her too. to distract her, probably. smoke and mirrors. but wendy frowns. her throat feels a little dry. she leans back against the couch, her head dropping into the pillow.

"there's nothing," she mutters.

"there's always something," yeri replies.

she grabs wendy's arm again. laces their fingers together and squeezes. wendy makes a sound of protests.

"maybe," yeri starts. her eyes grow wide and serious. "it's cathartic, i guess. confessing. letting it all out. even if it's not the answer you want. i mean, i feel better about it? maybe it's because i didn't have any expectations. maybe it's because this is the first time that i've ever really felt like i've been in love with someone."

wendy chokes. then sighs. her tongue presses against the roof of her mouth. her nerves pull into her stomach. they pile on and suddenly, her nails are digging into the arm of the couch.

she says it quietly though.

"i have never been in love."

 

 

 

 

 

love is something she thinks of.

not often. that would be lying to herself a lot more. and not immediately - it's just that some things feel as natural as breathing. as pushing your lips together and letting out that sharp, aching sigh. or sitting next to _her_. cheering her on. small touches. laughing. but wendy doesn't consider herself that romantic. certain things just are.

irene finds her later. after a schedule. offers to bother a tea because wendy's throat is bothering her after the long week they've had. mostly, it's probably to peel her apart before talking to yeri.

"we'll walk," she says too. holds out wendy's jacket.

"down the street?"

"sure." irene bites her lip. "or to the market? they have really good honey."

wendy rolls her eyes. "i'm not sick," she says. but gently. irene looks embarrassed. wendy rubs her throat with her palm. "i just need a bit of a break," she murmurs.

irene's face contorts. not like in pain. or anything - it just falls with dismissal and disapproval. you don't know everything about her, wendy recognizes. she also know the face though.

"she's a lot braver than me," irene still says in the hall. she makes a noise with her throat.

wendy blinks. "who?"

"yeri." irene sours into a pout. they move to wait by the elevator. "i can't believe i said that out loud."

wendy laughs. the sound feels warm against her throat.

"i mean it." they watch the elevator numbers together. irene links their arms too. her hand settles against the crook of wendy's elbow. "i don't even know i'd actually say anything..."

"because people confess to you. not the other way around."

irene looks surprised. embarrassed again. her mouth twists. you have to understand that they've been here before. for awhile now. again and again. feelings rotate desperately. wendy can tell you about the knots in her stomach every time irene touches her. or smiles. or when she steps towards her first, before everyone else.

"i don't mean that as a bad thing," wendy manages quietly. she lets go of irene first. the elevator doors open and she steps through, leaning against the wall. it's just that love is a vicious word. "i just think that your perspective is colored in by the experiences you've had yourself. that's all. nothing personal."

irene makes a soft sound. "sounds personal."

"unnie." they're teetering on dangerous grounds. wendy meets irene's gaze. her mouth sharpens. "don't go down this road," she murmurs.

because wendy is not in love. can't be. even though, her insides are all backwards. now, here, and later, long after this moment. irene reaches out and tucks a few strands of hair behind her ear. irene's fingers linger too. they shouldn't. but they do. they stare at each other and wendy thinks: _i'm not ready to do this_ even though they've been at this moment for a really long time. never too far forward, but never too far backwards either. when irene's fingers drop to her jaw, she tries, honestly, tries to look away. instead her mouth catches against the tips of irene's fingers and her sigh is heavy enough to feel like something else.

irene drops her hand. "i won't," she says.

the elevator doors open.

 

 

 

 

 

most things feel like a promise.


End file.
